Story highlights
NEW: A locksmith helping in the eviction process was shot dead, police say
NEW: An unidentified body was found inside the burned apartment building
NEW: A police officer says authorities are not looking for any suspects in the case
A sheriff's deputy was fatally shot while trying to serve an eviction notice in Modesto
A locksmith hired to help in the process of evicting a California tenant was shot dead, along with the sheriff’s deputy serving the eviction notice, police said Friday.
In addition to the two men shot dead, a lone body has been found inside the charred ruins of the Modesto, California, apartment building, Modesto police Officer Chris Adams told CNN on Friday.
He did not say definitively that this was the same person being sought out for the eviction notice, adding that it could take days or weeks to positively identify the body. But he did say that police are no longer looking for any suspects in the case.
The incident actually began Thursday morning, when Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Robert Paris, 53, tried to serve an eviction notice at an apartment when a gunman opened fire.
Paris, a 16-year veteran of the department, was shot dead.
So, too, was Glendon Engert, a 35-year-old locksmith hired by the apartment complex’s management company to get access to the unit as part of the eviction process, said Adams.
The suspect locked himself into the home after the shootings, starting a standoff that lasted more than 10 hours.
After 10 p.m. local time Thursday, a fire erupted from the apartment and flames could be seen shooting from the roof.
The fire ignited after authorities threw flash grenades and tear gas into the apartment to try to flush the shooter out, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters.
CNN’s Greg Morrision contributed to this report.